Adjustable center line scribe



Nov. 1, 1960 Filed June 2'7, 1958 C. A. SEITZ ADJUSTABLE CENTER LINE SCRIBE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Clarence A. Seifz IN VENTOR ATTORNEY Nov. 1, 1960 c. A. SEITZ 2,953,133

ADJUSTABLE CENTER LINE scrum;

Filed June 2 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 l2 13 2 4 W/ A & 25

29 3o Fig.5 2 3/ 37 Clarence A. Seifz V/ 4/ /7 Q INVENTOR 7 26 l6 ATTORNEY Nov. 1, 1960 c. A. SEITZ 2,958,133

ADJUSTABLE CENTER LINE SCRIBE I Filed June 27, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 7 i5 73 Clarence A. Seifz 52 83 78 85 so 82 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Nov. 1, 1960 c. A. SElTZ 2,958,133

ADJUSTABLE CENTER LINE SCRIBE Filed June 27, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet .4

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Clarence A. Seifz I NVENTOR BY @W ATTORNEY Unite The present invention relates to an adjustable center line scribe and has for an object to provide a tool of this kind with which the center line of a given side of a. piece of work can be located and a line inscribed thereon.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device of this character by the use of which the center line of any series of holes which are to be bored into the piece of work can be located and a line marked therealong.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a scribe of this kind in which the center lines may be located and marked without the necessity of making separate adjustments for each point along the line.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a tool of this type which will facilitate the layout work and to reduce the time previously required for performing this layout work.

The present invention also contemplates the provision of an adjustable center line scribe which can be employed in connection with pieces of work made of any material, such as iron and lumber, having two plane faces which meet at right angles.

It is the aim of the present invention to provide a tool of this character which will also perform layout work on I-beams, channel irons and the like.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinafter more fully described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings in which the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the several views,

Figure l is a perspective view of an adjustable center line scribe construction in accordance with the present invention and being used in connection with an angle iron,

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same,

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2,

Figure 6 is a perspective view of another form of the invention illustrated as being used in connection with an I-beam,

Figure 7 is an end elevational view of the same,

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 7,

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9--9 of Figure 7, and

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken on the line 10--10 of Figure 8.

Referring more particularly to the drawings and especially to Figures 1 through 5, 10 indicates a piece of work illustrated in the present instance as an angle iron having a vertical flange 11 and a horizontal flange 12 tes Patent 0 "ice disposed in two planes which meet at substantially right angles to one another. A guide member which may be in the form of a slide block 13 is adapted to have sliding engagement with the flanges 11 and 12 of the piece of work 10. This slide block 13 may be made of metal or any other suitable material and has a cut away portion which provides a downwardly facing contact surface 14 and an innerwardly facing contact surface 15 on the guide member 13. The contact surface 14 is adapted to engage and slide along the marginal edge portion of the horizontal flange 12 of the work piece 10 adjacent its point of juncture with the vertical flange 11. The inwardly facing contact surface 15 has a height which is greater than the width of the contact surface 14 and is adapted to have sliding engagement with a substantial portion of the outer face of the vertical flange 11 adjacent its point of juncture with the horizontal flange 12 of the work piece 10.

An adjustment screw 16 extends through an opening 17 formed in the non-cut away portion of the guide member 13. It will be noted that the diameter of the opening 17 is greater than the outside diameter of the screw 16 so that the screw is free for axial movement in the opening 17 and can be freely rotated in either direction without imparting its movement of rotation to the guide member 13. However, the screw 16 is restrained against axial movement within the opening 17 by a pair of abutment collars 18 which encircle the screw 16 and are secured thereto in any suitable manner and abut the opposite faces of the guide member 13. The screw 16 has a reduced diameter portion 19 which extends outwardly beyond the guide member 13 and carries on its free end a wheel or knob 20 by means of which rotation may be imparted to the screw 16.

The outer periphery of the wheel 20 may be roughened for affording a better grip thereon.

The screw 16 has screw threaded engagement with the screw threads of a passageway 21 which extends entirely through the scribe member or block 22. The block 22 is mounted on the screw 16 for movement towards and away from the guide member 13 and is guided in its movements by a pair of guide members or rods 23 which extend through smooth bore apertures 24 which extend through the block 22 and have their axes substantially parallel to the axis of the passageway 21. One end portion of each rod 24 is fixedly received by an opening 25 formed in the guide member 13. The openings 25 are in substantially horizontal alignment with the guide apertures 24 and their axes are substantially parallel to the axis of the opening 17.

Adjacent one end of the scribe member 22 is formed a U-shaped recess 26 which opens downwardly through the end face of the member 22 and the lower face thereof. An upstanding boss 27 is formed on the upper face of the member 22 inwardly of the recess 26. The block 22 and the boss 27 have formed therein aligned openings 28 and 29, the axes of which are inclined at an angle of the order of forty-five degrees to the lower and upper surfaces of the block 22 and boss 27. The lower end of the opening 28 opens through the top of the recess 26 and the upper end of the opening 29 opens through the upper surface of the boss 27. A writing implement or scribe 30, which may be in the form of a pencil or metal scribe, is adjustably received by the openings 28 and 29 with its scribing end portion positioned within the recess 26 and its point in contact with the upper surface of the flange 12 of the work piece 10. The writing implement 30 is held in its desired adjusted position by a set screw 31 which is received by a screw threaded opening 32 formed in one side of the boss 27 and which communicates at its innerend with the opening 29 formed in the boss 27. If desired,

a conventional tensioning spring can also be carried by the boss 27 for increasing the tension on the writing implement 30 to assist the set screw 21 in holding the writing implement in its properly adjusted position.

A ruler or scale 33 has one end portion secured in a clip 34 which in turn is secured in any suitable manner to the upper face of the block 22. The ruler 33 is provided with a series of graduations or markings 35 which cooperate with an indicator or pointer 36 fixedly carried by the guide member 13.

In the use of the device, assuming that it is desired to form a longitudinal row of holes or grooves in the horizontal flange 12 of the work piece 10 at a certain desired distance from the free'end of the flange 12, the guide member 13 will be positioned with its downwardly facing contactsurface 14 in engagement with the upper face of the flange 12 adjacent its point of juncture with the vertical flange 1-1 and the inwardly facing contact surface 15 will be brought into engagement with the adjacent portion of the outer face of the flange 11. The lower surface 37 of the block 22 will be disposed in contact with the upper face of the horizontal flange 12 and in order to bring the point of the writing implement 30 into contact with the upper face of the flange 12 at the exact desired distance from the free edge of the flange 12, the adjusting screw 16 will be rotated in the proper direction. The rotation of the screw 16 will cause the scribe member 22 to move towards or away from the guide member 13 depending upon the direction of rotation of the screw 16. 'This movement of the block 22 will be eifected because the tendency of the rotation of the screw 16 to cause rotation of the block 22 will be prevented by the guide members 23 and since the screw 16 is held against axial movement by the collars 18, the block 22 will be constrained to walk along the screw 16. The reading of the scale 35 will indicate when the inscribing point of the implement 30 has been brought to its proper position on the horizontal flange 12. The device will now be slid along the work piece 10 and a center line 38 will be inscribed on the upper face of the flange 12, as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, the device being moved in the direction of arrow 39 in Figure 1.

The form of the invention illustrated in Figures 6 through 10 of the drawings is designed primarily for use in connection with large angle iron, larger channel iron, lumber and steel beams, such as -I-beams. At 40 is generally indicated a piece of work which in the present illustration is an I-beam having a web 41 and outwardly extending flanges 42 and 43. A guide member or slide block 44 has a cut away portion forming a downwardly facing contact surface 45 and an inwardly facing contact surface 46. A width adjustment screw 47 extends through a suitable smooth bore opening formed through the guide member 44. The screw 47 is free to rotate in the opening in the member 44 in both directions but is held against axial or longitudinal movement therein by a pair of abutment collars 48 which engage opposite faces of the guide member 44 and encircle and are secured in any suitable manner to the screw 47. The screw 47 extends outwardly beyond the outer face of the guide member 44 and has aflixed thereto in any suitable manner a manipulating wheel or knob 49 which may have its outer periphery knurled or roughened. The screw 47 extends through and has screw threaded engagement with a screw threaded passageway 50 which extends entirely through a second guide member or slide block 51.

The second guide member 51 is of similar size and shape to that of the guide member 44 and has a downwardly facing contact surface 52 and an inwardly facing contact surface 53.

A pair of guide members or rods 54 extend freely through suitable guide apertures formed in the second guide member 51 and each guide member 54 has one end portion fixedly received by a suitable opening in the first guide member 44. One of the guide rods 54 also extends freely through a scribe member or block 55. A center line rough adjustment screw 56 having left handed screw threads extends through passageways 57 and 58 formed in the second guide member 51 and the scribe member 55, respectively, and has one end portion received through a suitable opening in the first guide member 44 for free rotation therein. The passageway 57 is of smooth bore to permit relative axial sliding and rotative movement of the screw 56 and member 51. The passageway 58 is provided with screw threads to match those of the screw 56. The screw 56 is restrained against axial or longitudinal movement in one direction in any suitable manner, for example, by having its end portion, which is received through the opening in the guide member 44, of reduced diameter to provide an outwardly facing shoulder which engages the inner face of the guide member 44.

The reduced end portion of the screw 56 has mounted thereon for rotation with the screw 56 a gear 86 and the free end portion of the reduced diameter portion of the screw is upset so that it will engage the outer face of the gear to retain it on the screw and lightly against the guide member 44 to prevent axial movement of the screw with respect to the member 44. The screw 47 has mounted thereon for rotation therewith a gear 87 of the same diameter and having the same number of teeth as the gear 86. The gears 86 and 87 are disposed in a recess 88 formed in the outer'face of the member 44.

The outer end portion of the scribe member 55 is cut away to provide a recess 59 for the reception of a marking instrument holder 60. The holder 60 can be adjusted with respect to the scribe member 55 by means of a center line fine adjustment screw 61 which extends through an opening 62 formed in the side wall 63 of the recess 59 and has screw threaded engagement with the screw threads of a socket 64 formed in the holder 60. The screw 61 is freely rotatable in the opening 62 of the side wall 63 but is restrained against axial or longitudinal movement in the opening 62 by a pair of abutment washers 65 which are secured to the screw '61 in any suitable manner and engage the opposite faces of the wall 63. The holder 60 has an angularly extending opening 66 for receiving a marking or inscribing instrument 67. The bottom 68 of the recess 59 has formed therein an elongated slot through which extends the lower end portion of the marking instrument 67. The marking instrument 67 is adjustably received by the opening 66 and the slot in the bottom 68 and is held in its desired adjusted position by a set screw 69 which is received by a suitably screw threaded opening 70 formed in the holder 60 and which opens into the opening 66 so that the inner end of the set screw 69 can bear against the marking instrument 67. If desired, a conventional spring tensioning assembly can also be employed to assist the set screw 69 in holding the marking instrument 67 in its adjusted position. v 3

Hole center scribe carriers 71 and 72 are carried bythe scribe member 55 and are adjustable towards and away from one another and with respect to the scribe member 55 by a hole center line scribe adjustment screw 73. The screw 73 extends through a smooth bore opening formed in a boss 74 which depends from the bottom 68 of the recess 59. The opposite end portions of the screw 73 extend through and have screw threaded engagement with the screw threads of suitable passageways formed in the carriers 71 and 72. This screw threaded connection is a conventional right and left hand screw thread assembly for moving the carriers 71 and 72 towards and away from one another, depending upon the direction of rotation of the screw 73. In order to restrain the screw 73 against axial or longitudinal movement, a pair of abutment washers 75 are secured in any suitable manner to the screw 73 on opposite sides of and in abutment with the boss 74.

An arm 76 extends inwardly from the inner side of the carrier 71 and an arm 77 extends inwardly from an intermediate portion of the carrier 72. The inner free end portions of the arms 76 and 77 are disposed in overlapping engagement so as to guide the carriers 71 and 72 in their movement towards and from each other. A marking instrument or scribe 78 is adjustably carried by a suitably inclined opening formed in each carrier 71 and 72. Each scribe 78 is held in its adjusted position by means of a set screw 79 which is received by a suitably screw threaded opening so that the inner ends of the set screw 79 can engage the marking instrument 78 to hold them in their adjusted position. If desired, a conventional spring tensioning assembly may also be used in connection with each marking instrument 78 to assist the set screw 79 in holding the marking instruments in their adjusted positions.

The carrier 71 has a shelf 80 extending outwardly therefrom. A ruler or scale 81 has one end portion secured in a clip 82 which in turn is secured to the shelf 80 in any suitable manner. The ruler 81 extends from the shelf 80 towards the carrier 72 where it is supported by a shelf 83 which extends forwardly from the carrier 72. The ruler 81 is provided with appropriate graduations or markings 84. The ruler 81 cooperates with an indicator or pointer 85 which is carried by the boss 74 of the scribe member 55.

In the use of the device illustrated in Figures 6 through 10, assuming that it is desired to form a row of holes on each side of the center line of a work piece at exactly the same distance from the center line of the work piece, which for the sake of example, may be the I-beam 40, the guide member 44 will be placed upon the I-beam so that the contact surfaces 45 and 46 thereof engage the upper and side faces, respectively, of the flange 43. The width adjustment screw 47 will then be rotated in the proper direction to cause the second guide member 51 to be moved so that its contact surfaces 52 and 53 will engage the upper and side faces of the flange 42 of the work piece 40. The rotation of the screw 47 through the gears 86 and 87 will cause rotation of the screw 56 which in turn will cause the scribe member 55 to travel along the screw 56. The screw 56 has twice as many threads as the screw 47 so that the scribe member 55 will be caused to move twice the distance as the guide member 51. In this manner the marking instrument 67 will be brought into rough adjustment with respect to the center line of the work piece 40 and by manipulating the center line fine adjustment screw 61 in the proper direction, the marking instrument holder 60 will be moved in the proper direction to bring the marking instrument 67 at the exact center of the work piece 40. The device will now be slid along the work piece 40 in the direction of the arrows 89 of Figure 6 to inscribe the center line.

In order to locate the center line for the rows of holes or other apertures to be formed in the work piece 40 on each side of the located center line of the work piece, the screw 73 will be rotated in the proper direction to move the hole center line scribe carriers 71 and 72 toward or away from one another. This movement of the carrier 71 will cause movement of the ruler 81 and by reading the graduations 84 in coordination with the indicator 85, the user can determine when the marking instruments 78 have been brought to the proper position with respect to the inscribed center line for making the hole center line markings. The marking instruments 67 and 78 can be pencils or made of metal.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims:

What I claim is:

1. An adjustable center line scribe for inscribing a center line on a piece of work comprising two slide blocks for engaging and sliding along opposite edge faces of the work, an adjustment screw mounted for free rotation in one of said slide blocks and screw threadedly engaging the other of said slide blocks, means for restraining said other slide block against rotation so that rotation of the adjustment screw will cause said other slide block to move towards or from said one slide block, a driven screw, means connecting said screws whereby rotation of the adjustment screw rotates the driven screw, and a scribe block connected to said driven screw for axial movement therealong to move the scribe block towards and away from the slide blocks.

2. A scribe as claimed in claim 1 wherein a marking instrument holder is carried by said scribe block for movement both therewith and relative thereto, and a marking instrument is carried by said holder.

3. A scribe as claimed in claim 2 wherein two scribe carriers movable towards and from one another are provided, and an adjusting screw is supported by said scribe block for rotation but held against axial movement and is operatively connected to said carriers for causing said movement of the carriers.

4. A scribe as claimed in claim 3 wherein a cooperating hole center scale and an indicator are provided one of which is carried by one of said carriers and the other of which is carried by said scribe block.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

